


The Continued Adventures of Sympathy Jones, Super Secret Agent

by windrattlestheblinds



Category: Sympathy Jones - Asare/Pierce
Genre: A Few Case Notes..., Epistolary, Gen, Kinda Episodic, Mostly Memos, Post-Canon, okay not COMPLETELY epistolary because listen sometimes letters just aren't enough., some Letters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-11 04:09:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12927114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windrattlestheblinds/pseuds/windrattlestheblinds
Summary: The fine men and... well, just men at The Agency are the one line of defense standing between the United States and a horde of megalomaniacal super-villains. They are a famous, much-loved fraternity, defenders of order and public safety and the grand old traditions of American life.Into this noble brotherhood steps Sympathy Jones: The Agency's first woman agent, hired with begrudging reluctance after she tired of begging for a promotion and stole a case file instead. She's already saved the world and earned an arch nemesis in the form of Kitty Hawk, leader of the Secret Coalition for Revenge, Assassinations, Terrorism, and Heists—and she isn't even officially an agent yet.Whatever the future holds in store for her, it's sure to be exciting.





	1. MEMOS #1 — The Week After

## MONDAY.

**UNDERCOVER SECRETARY FOILS TIME-STOPPING PLOT**

BY: BRODY SHRIVER

New York City, NY — The whole world watched in horror this weekend as the notorious criminal organization known as the Secret Coalition for Revenge, Assassinations, Terrorism, Counter-intelligence and Heists (S.C.R.A.T.C.H.) rained time-freezing terror down on Washington, D.C.

These events were set in motion with Friday’s kidnapping of Richard Oscill, celebrity watchmaker extraordinaire, and subsequent theft of Mr. Oscill’s prototype for the soon-to-be released Delta-29 Oscillex Wrist Watch, which is scheduled to hit the market in three months time. The Delta-29, initially announced to the public a few weeks ago and the topic of industry gossip for months prior to that, is famously purported to prevent its wearers from aging by inducing a state of “temporal hiatus.”

The villainous scientists employed by S.C.R.A.T.C.H. twisted this cutting-edge technology into a time-stopping bomb, which they dropped on Capitol Hill early Saturday morning. Shortly thereafter, the organization’s anonymous leader came forward for the first time, revealing herself as one Kitty Hawk and threatening to drop a second, even larger bomb—capable of trapping the entire greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan in a bubble of frozen time—unless President Hunter surrendered his power over to her within twenty-four hours.

Special agents deployed to S.C.R.A.T.C.H.’s base of operations on a remote part of Long Island were able to disrupt the plot with moments to spare. Among them was star agent Nick Steele, with whose storied history of heroism and adventure long-term readers will doubtlessly be familiar. Also on the scene was rookie agent Henry Greene, cousin to Steele, and one Ms. Sympathy Jones, whom Agents Steele and Greene credit with the downfall of S.C.R.A.T.C.H.’s latest despicable plot.

We spoke to the trio just outside the Agency’s headquarters in Upper Manhattan. Agent Steele appeared characteristically unfazed by the day’s work, but deferred to his cousin, stating that “Oh, yes, well, I was there. In the lair, that is. Kitty’s lair. But I was really just there for backup, you know. This was Henry’s mission, and Sympathy’s, and they handled it just fine.” Then he winked and strode off, explaining that he had a date to attend to, and left us with Agent Greene and the mysterious Ms. Jones.

“It was pretty by the book,” Greene said of their infiltration of S.C.R.A.T.C.H.’s base. “We got in, we got captured, Sympathy here got us out again, and she took out a bunch of henchmen and kept Kitty occupied while I managed to disable the second time bomb. Pretty straightforward. And Sympathy did most of the work, if you want the truth. I just pulled a few wires.”

And just who _is_ this Ms. Jones? Neither Agent Greene nor Ms. Jones herself appeared inclined to say. Asked for comment on her involvement in the case, Ms. Jones simply grinned and declined further comment.

Further research into her background reveals that she has been employed at the Agency for some time—as a secretary to Director Roger Pinkerton himself. We reached out to Mr. Pinkerton to learn how this woman came to be working on the Oscillex case and received a cryptic answer from the usually forthcoming director: “Suffice it to say that Ms. Jones is a very capable young woman and that, without her, yesterday’s crisis might very well have ended in disaster.” He refused all our subsequent requests for elaboration.

Some thirty-six arrests were made in the hours after Agent Greene and Ms. Jones saved the day, although Kitty Hawk reportedly slipped away during the confusion and remains at large. Any tips as to her current whereabouts should be phoned in to the Agency’s Office of Public Tips (call 212-557-7437) immediately.

Our correspondences in Washington, D.C. have confirmed that Capitol Hill remains frozen. According to a statement released by Oscillex Labs late on Sunday, Richard Oscill and the rest of the Delta-29 team will be working in close coordination with Agency scientists to reverse the effects of the time bomb and expect to have both Congress and the surrounding neighborhood un-frozen shortly.

 

* * *

 

## TUESDAY.

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **TUESDAY REMINDER**

As usual, please find attached copies of the Certificate of Bravery awarded to me by the DMPD eleven years ago today and the accompanying write-up in the _Des Moines Register._

Happy Tuesday, all!

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **SYMPATHY JONES**

CC: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

Your point has been made, Sympathy. Loud and clear.

How long to you plan to keep this up?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **R. PINKERTON, DIRECTOR**

CC: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

I’ve been doing it for four years, sir. It’s tradition, like Nick forgetting to refill the coffee maker after taking the last cup and Gadgets tilting at the windmill of completely pointless combustible sports gear.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: D. Sienkiewicz, Secretary

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

Symp — Something can’t have happened “eleven years ago today” every single week. That doesn’t make any sense.

P.S. Please come to reception and help me clean up this filing system. I can’t find anything in this mess!

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **D. SIENKIEWICZ, SECRETARY**

CC: **CRYPTOGRAPHY**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

I see you haven’t lost your talent for stating the obvious, Doris.

My filing system is not messy. It’s triple-encrypted to guard against data breaches. Treat this as a learning opportunity and talk to Cryptography if you get stuck!

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

CC: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: D. Anders, Head of Gadgets

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

I’ll have you know our line of recreational explosives is a project of vital importance to the ORANGESOURCE matter. It is not a windmill, Ms. Jones! We do not have the funding to waste on frivolous side projects!

What does an underfunded department have to do around here to get a little respect?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **D. ANDERS, HEAD OF GADGETS**

CC: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: TUESDAY REMINDER**

Stop building gadgets that explode when you hit stuff with them?

 

* * *

 

## WEDNESDAY.

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **TEAMWORK!**

Remember, everybody, we here at the Agency are a TEAM! A little friendly competition never hurt anybody, but inter-office sniping will NOT be tolerated.

In case I’m not being clear enough: leaving shuttlecock cherry bombs in the field agent briefing room’s coffee maker was childish and uncalled for. I’m extremely disappointed in whoever did this. Happily, nobody was injured when the shuttlecocks exploded, but we did lose the coffeemaker. The cost for a replacement will be docked from the perpetrator’s pay.

If the person responsible doesn’t come forward willingly by the end of the week I’m going to have to open up a formal inquiry.

Go team!

— Pinkerton.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Good morning, Caprice!

I need a transportable, self-stabilizing cupholder I can store in my purse. It needs to prevent spilling even in high-turbulence situations e.g. me running to get to the Agency on time while it is in my purse. Got anything suitable?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

This sounds more like a request for Gadgets?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

I can’t ask Gadgets, they’re the ones who blew up the coffee maker.

Please!

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

I’ll see what I can do.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

You’re the best, Caprice! XO

P.S. Dinner at the Tempo Club tonight?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Tomorrow night? I’ve got a date with Nick tonight!! xoxo

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

What, again??? What do you even see in him??

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Yes, again!! He’s really sweet once you get to know him, Sympathy. You should try that sometime.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

I’ll take your word for it.

Tomorrow night, then. Tempo Club, six o’clock. I’ll meet you there. XO

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

CC: **H. GREENE, AGENT; N. STEELE, SENIOR AGENT**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **TRAINING REGIMEN**

As per our earlier discussion, Sympathy, I spoke to the board at our training academy and they’ve agreed, due to your unusual path to agent-hood, to allow you to skip most of the BFT program provided you successfully complete the standard assessments. However, you will need to undergo firearms training (no, your personal objections to the use of firearms in supercriminal investigations is not a valid reason to forego proper training in their use), at least 120 hours of case exercises and operational skills training, and the intensive remedial ethics program.

Yes, that last part is non-negotiable. We cannot have you stealing top secret files whenever you get bored.

In combination with this, we have placed you on the “accelerated” trainee track. This will allow you to shadow one of our senior agents on missions in order to gain practical experience while you are still completing your program at the training academy. I must emphasize that this is NOT a reward for your behavior during the Oscillex case. This is because Internal Affairs has determined that you are temperamentally suited to working with Agent Greene and allowances are being made because we are, I’m afraid, a little understaffed what with the Janelli situation and Agent Laberenz having had that unfortunate run-in with the Dutch mafia.

In any case, you’ve been assigned to shadow Nick now that Ms. Nova’s got him back on his feet. He’s our top agent, and for the time being he’ll be working with Agent Greene, so you’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best and get more accustomed to working with Agent Greene at the same time. Win-win!

Be sure to pass this message along to Nick and Henry. Thanks.

— Pinkerton.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **R. PINKERTON, DIRECTOR**

FROM: H. Greene, Agent

SUBJECT: **RE: TRAINING REGIMEN**

You know I CAN actually read, don’t you, Mr. Pinkerton?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **H. GREENE, AGENT**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **RE: TRAINING REGIMEN**

Of course you can, Henry. ;)

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **H. GREENE, AGENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: TRAINING REGIMEN**

Why does Pinkerton think you can’t read?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: H. Greene, Agent

SUBJECT: **RE: TRAINING REGIMEN**

DON’T. ASK.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Have you considered using a thermos?

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

I would like something a little cooler than a thermos, Caprice. In the figurative sense. If it chills my coffee I want nothing to do with it.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Noted. xoxo

P.S. I heard through the grapevine that Pinkerton’s gonna have you shadow Nick, so congratulations!! I know you don’t like him, Sympathy, but you can’t deny he IS amazing at what he does. You’ll learn so much!!!

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Thanks, Caprice. XO

 

* * *

 

## THURSDAY.

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING.**

FROM: G. Lipscomb, Instructor, Training Academy

SUBJECT: **COURSE SCHEDULING**

Ms. Jones,

Welcome to agent training. Report to the reception area of the academy at fourteen hundred hours today so that we can arrange times for your physical and academic proficiency assessments. Note that in order to skip portions of the BFTP you will need to score in the 90th percentile or better on the relevant assessments. The goal is to avoid wasting time on subjects at which you already excel, not to allow you to skirt by with some haphazard self-taught skills and your not insignificant good luck.

Thus it is recommended that you study prior to taking any tests. Hard.

Kind regards,

Grover Lipscomb.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, GADGETS**

FROM: D. Anders, Head of Gadgets

SUBJECT: **THE SHUTTLECOCK MATTER**

Good morning, all. Please come to the Charlie Foxtrotboardroom immediately for the usual pre-inquiry coordination exercises and consistency briefing.

And remember, snitches get stitches!

— Dimitri.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

CC: **H. GREENE, AGENT**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **ANN**

We’ve just received word from our agents in New Jersey; seems Ann was arrested and brought into our custody while attempting to purchase bus tickets to Canada. She’ll be in our Brooklyn detention center shortly. I’ll be heading over there this evening to interview and discuss options with her lawyer. She was one of our most valuable informants before she double-crossed us so I’m hoping to win back her loyalty with a generous plea bargain.

Since you and Henry were on the scene when she escaped, you’re both welcome to come along. Especially you, Sympathy — it’ll be good interrogation experience for you. If you’d like to join me please drop by reception to confirm with Doris before four o’clock. Be sure to tell Henry!

P.S. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know we also recovered the Delta-29 prototype. As it’s no worse for wear, Richard Oscill has agreed to drop the lawsuit against us for failing to protect it in the first place.

— Pinkerton.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **R. PINKERTON, DIRECTOR**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: ANN**

Thank you, sir. I’ll be sure to stop by reception before heading to the academy. Doris has been bugging me for help with the file system anyway.

Has there been any sign of Kitty yet? I can’t imagine she’ll stay in hiding for long.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **RE: ANN**

Nope, no sign of Kitty yet, but I’m sure she’ll turn up soon. You’ll be on the case with Nick and Henry when she does, so be ready!

— Pinkerton.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **R. PINKERTON, DIRECTOR**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: ANN**

Looking forward to it, sir.

 

* * *

 

## FRIDAY.

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: H. Coy, Head of Internal Affairs

SUBJECT: **INQUIRY INTO INTER-OFFICE CONFLICTS**

As the perpetrator of the Shuttlecock Coffee Incident has not yet come forward, Director Pinkerton is opening a formal inquiry into the matter. All Agency personnel will be interviewed on an individual basis by our agents. Keep an eye on your inboxes for your invitation. You are advised to cooperate with our investigation to the best of your abilities; remember what happened to Intern Davidson when he lied to us last year.

In preparation for the inquiry process, please take a moment today to review your Employee Code of Conduct. Be sure to give special to Section BER1, General Principles of Ethical Conduct; Section MOP3, Use of Agency Property and Time; Subsection MOP3.2, Destruction of Agency Property; Subsection MOP3.11, Coffee Protocol; Section COI6, Appropriate Conflict Management and Remediation, and Appendix B12.5, Additional Considerations — Consequences for Misbehavior.

We appreciate your cooperation.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **S. JONES, AGENT-IN-TRAINING**

FROM: C. Nova, Design Op, Disguisement

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Hi Sympathy!! If you can get away from the academy today long enough to drop by Disguisement, your cupholder is waiting for you! I’m keeping it in my desk safe with the usual combination, so if I’m not around when you come by go ahead and pick it up yourself. xoxo

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **C. NOVA, DESIGN OP, DISGUISEMENT**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RE: PROJECT QUAKEROAST**

Great!! I nearly burned the guy next to me this morning while trying to drink coffee on the subway, so…

You’re the best, as always! XO

–––––

**“EARLY OPTIMISM MIGHT HAVE BEEN MISPLACED:” CAPITOL HILL MAY REMAIN FROZEN FOR SOME TIME**

BY: BRODY SHRIVER

New York City, NY — Richard Oscill held a press conference in front of Oscillex Labs this afternoon to speak of the progress his team has been making in un-freezing the legislative branch: namely, that there has been none.

The genius watchmaker appeared sheepish as he stood before reporters. “We assumed this would be easier,” he admitted. “S.C.R.A.T.C.H. reverse-engineered the time freeze technology in the Delta-29 Watch and built a modified version of it that functions like an EMP bomb. It doesn’t explode but instead generates a field that disrupts the natural flow of time and stops it, similarly to how the Delta-29 pauses cell growth by inducing the temporal-hiatus condition. Normally the field would dissipate naturally over the course of a few days, but SCRATCH seems to have found a way to contain the field. Our initial theory was that the ‘container’ mechanism, or mechanisms, would have to be somewhere outside the time-freeze field, but this does not appear to be the case…”

To un-freeze Capitol Hill, Oscill said, he and his team and their counterparts at the Agency will need to find a way to remotely disable the container mechanisms, which are believed to be hidden somewhere around the Capitol Hill neighborhood. This could take weeks or even months.

White House Press Secretary Cristobal Spinks declined to comment in detail on the situation at this time, but stated that an official statement on the matter would be released later this day.


	2. LETTERS #1 - The Sweetwater Case, pt. 1

Dear Ms. Jones,

Let me congratulate you on your acceptance to the Agency’s training academy! I admit I’m surprised. I didn’t think Pinkerton really had it in him to recognize you for what you are. I suppose we all have hidden depths, eh? Although I must say I don’t think the academy will benefit you much—any institution that graduated the likes of Nick Steele cannot be worth much of anything. Don’t you agree?

What did you think of the news coverage of your victory at Long Island? Was it everything you dreamed? I noticed Pinkerton neglected the usual press conference song-and-dance. Do you suppose he’s embarrassed that the day was saved by a woman, and a young and pretty one at that, or just worried about explaining to his handlers and to the public at large why he thought it wise to hire someone who mishandled—nay, let us be honest, stole!—highly classified information?

An awkward situation all around, if you think about it.

My offer is still on the table.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

–––––

Kitty,

1\. How did you get that letter into the battery compartment of the hypnosis belt?

2\. My answer is still no.

Stop asking,

Sympathy.

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

Is that where it ended up? Thank you for telling me. Ticktock’s working on some sort of matter-switching teleportation… thing, but it’s only a rough prototype at present and he’s been having trouble tuning the destination settings. I’ll be sure to pass the information along. Your contribution to mad science will not go unappreciated, Ms. Jones.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

P.S. The 24/7 surveillance on my PO box was a good effort. Unfortunately for you, I have operatives in the Postal Service. Ah, well, better luck next time!

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

I’m going to be kind and assume that your lack of response to my previous letter is a result of it ending up in some difficult-to-reach place. Or else that you’re annoyed with me for evading capture again. In either case, I forgive you.

As a demonstration of good faith I’m even mailing this letter instead of zapping it to you with Ticktock’s device. (Which is coming along nicely, by the way.)

I suppose you must be wondering why I insist on writing to you, my nemesis, the one true hatred of my life… The answer is that I find it very calming. The life of a supervillain feels incomplete without a good arch-nemesis, and before you came along the only option I had was Nick Steele. I am sure you can imagine exactly how depressing it is to have Nick Steele for a nemesis.

Speaking of, I hear Pinkerton has you shadowing him, you poor thing. If you’d ever like me to shoot him, just say the word. He isn’t my nemesis anymore, so I’ve no compunction about putting a sniper across from his office to take him out. Anything for you, my dear.

What do you make of my ex-husband’s bumbling efforts to un-freeze Congress? I can tell you now that he’s barking up the wrong tree. Those containment mechanisms need to be removed from the field before they can be deactivated. But of course, no one can get inside the field without being frozen themselves.

Isn’t science fun?

Richard, of course, has never believed in getting his hands dirty or doing anything in person if he can help it. It’ll never occur to him that they can’t be switched off remotely. Perhaps you’d better give him a hint.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

–––––

Kitty,

Why are you telling me how to sabotage your own handiwork?

Don’t shoot Nick.

Sympathy.

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

Why, Ms. Jones, haven’t you done anything with the knowledge of how to sabotage my handiwork? I would know if you attempted to tell Richard. I have people watching his every movement.

And you haven’t informed your Director of our correspondence, either. Naughty.

Could it be, Ms. Jones, that you enjoy having a secret?

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

–––––

Kitty,

Maybe I just don’t trust you.

Sympathy.

P.S. What makes you think I haven’t been sharing these letters with Pinkerton all along?

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

And yet you continue to write to me. I can deliver letters into your egg cartons with the press of a button, and there you are, calmly reading, feeling not the tiniest bit of unease as to what else I might be able to sneak into your home…

Because you _do_ trust me, Ms. Jones. You and I are more alike than you want to admit, and deep down you know exactly what I will and won’t do. We are not enemies; we are opponents in a game for which the entire world is our playing board. And I may be a villain, my dear, but I do not cheat the rules of engagement.

Speaking of the entire world, how does New Zealand suit you? I hear the weather’s lovely this time of year.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

P.S. The roof of the building facing Nick Steele’s office remains unlocked and unguarded in spite of my threat to put a sniper on it. Don’t try to bluff after showing me your hand, Ms. Jones.

–––––

Kitty,

This is not a game. “We” aren’t playing anything. You’re a dangerous criminal with delusions of grandeur and I’m going to stop you from hurting people. I don’t know where you got this idea that we’re the same, but we’re NOT _._ I have these things called “morals,” for starters…

Again, don’t shoot Nick.

Sympathy.

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

A whole paragraph this time! I’m flattered.

Did you know I worked for the Agency myself, once upon a time? I, too, spent my early twenties putting case files together and shuffling papers for men who never realized that their very lives depended on my work. Pinkerton was the top agent in those days, and Nick Steele just a trainee… How time flies!

I quit when I married Richard, less because of the marriage than out of disgust. Check the employment records if you don’t believe me.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

P.S. Hoch, not Hawk.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **M. PARSON, HR**

FROM: S. Jones, Agent-in-Training

SUBJECT: **RFI**

Good morning, Miss Parson!

Could you have a look through the employment records from 15-20 years ago and send up copies of anything you find concerning a Katherine Hoch?

Thanks in advance,

Sympathy Jones.

–––––

Kitty,

Fine. I’ll bite.

You interned in Disguisement when you were nineteen and were re-hired a few months later as a secretary in Deployment, a position you held for almost three years without promotion or raise. During that time you complained repeatedly to HR; those portions of your files have been redacted.

Two days after you left, Agent Dante Rollins was killed during what should have been a routine operation in Toronto. There was a formal inquiry into the incident, which determined that his case file had been improperly prepared and that his death was the result of incomplete and misleading information in the file. Your replacement, Gertrude Proctor—a woman who for the past month had essentially done your job under your supervision in preparation for your leaving—was implicated and summarily dismissed.

I assume that the timing of all this was not coincidental.

What were the HR complaints about?

Sympathy

–––––

Dear Ms. Jones,

You know, you never answered when I asked how you felt about New Zealand.

Letters are no place for backstory. Come find me and we’ll chat.

Love,

Kitty Hawk.

–––––

Kitty,

A beach resort? Really?

Well, you got your wish. We’re on a military transport plane to New Zealand to arrest you and put a stop to this mind control serum business. Enjoy your resort while it lasts, because prison’s gonna be a major downgrade.

Sympathy

P.S. It’s about twelve hours later and I can’t sleep. I never can on planes, and I think this one is even louder than commercial aircraft. We’re somewhere over the Pacific now.

I keep wondering, and you’re never going to read this anyway so I guess it doesn’t matter: Why did you tell me it’d be New Zealand? I assumed you were being intentionally misleading, but if I’d told Pinkerton he’d have stationed agents at every airport and port in the country just in case and you would’ve been detained before you even got through customs. That seems like a big risk to take. So, why?

~~ Just because you got under my skin once doesn’t mean I’m going to ~~

Do you want to take over the world or not?

What do you WANT, Kitty? What are you trying to accomplish?? I’m not stupid, I know you’re not just writing to me for giggles.

P.P.S. Eighteen hours, forty-five minutes. Two hours still to go. This is the longest flight I’ve ever taken, and I don’t mean that in just the literal sense. Has Nick always been this irritating, or did he start off normal before the fame got to his head?

P.P.P.S. We’re landing in fifteen. Ready or not, here we come.

–––––

What were you writing on the plane?

_Just journaling. Clears the mind + passes the time._

You seemed annoyed.

_Your cousin talks too much. Maybe we should steal one of Kitty’s gags for the trip home :)_

?

_That was a joke, Henry._

Oh. haha ;)


	3. CASE NOTES #1 - The Sweetwater Case, pt. 2

**FILE ID: 100-214XX033407-NS**

**FILE NAME:** SWEETWATER_NS_Case-Notes-01

[00:00] Background noise – engine and whooshing sound, intermittent beeps.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [00:07] We arrived in Auckland at twenty-one hundred (unintelligible) Henry, Sympathy, and myself are on the way to Silver Shoreline Resort and Spa after, uh, a short rest and briefing at the U.S. Consulate. We have until midnight tonight before S.C.R.A.T.C.H. operatives pour Ticktock’s mind control serum into water supplies across the country.

Our New Zealand contacts confirmed the existence of some kind of forcefield around the (unintelligible) but appears similar to the time bomb dropped on D.C. two months ago.

(Unintelligible)

 **S. JONES:** [01:28] I have an idea about how to deal with that.

 **NICK STEELE:** [01:34] Oh, uh, Sympathy has an idea. Go ahead, gorgeous.

[01:40] Silence.]

 **S. JONES:** [01:52] (Unintelligible) just simple mechanical devices. If we can knock one or two of them out of the field it should just be a matter of switching them off and waiting for it to dissipate on its own.

 **NICK STEELE:** [02:11] Yes, uh, I see. I see. What do you think, Henry? Ah…

 **S. JONES:** [02:16] Henry’s asleep, Nick.

 **NICK STEELE:** [02:22] Oh. So he is. You’d better, uh, wake him up now. Evil doesn’t sleep, you know, so neither should we.

(Unintelligible)

Our van is pulling onto a lookout, uh, overlooking the resort. Uh, we have eyes on the resort. No sign of any activity.

 **S. JONES:** [03:09] Looks like evil does sleep.

 **NICK STEELE:** [03:13] Uh, right. We should, uh, take this opportunity to surveil.

 **S. JONES:** [03:21] I think you’d better stay here, Nick, actually. Your pants are a bit clunky for sneaking around in the forest.

 **NICK STEELE:** [03:36] But—

 **HENRY GREENE:** [03:37] I think Sympathy’s right, actually. The robot pants are pretty noisy.

 **NICK STEELE:** [03:44] Uh, but—

 **S. JONES:** [03:45] You stay up here and keep an eye on the resort; we’ll check out this forcefield. Come on, Henry.

[03:58] Doors open and shut.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [04:12] Well. Okay.

**[04:14 - END OF FILE.]**

–––––

SWEETWATER \\\ Case notes

_FRI 04:14 NZDT:_ 19 hr 45 mn to serum. S and I climbed down from the lookout where N is surveilling from the van and proceeded approx. 12 mn before hitting the forcefield. It does appear temporal in nature as throwing twigs and handfuls of earth at it resulted in the material hanging in midair just inside the forcefield. S and I followed the line of the forcefield to the shore. We have confirmed that it extends into the water.

 _04:58 NZDT:_ Discussion. It will take too long to circle the entire forcefield on foot in search of the containment mechanisms. Based on experimentation with several large pieces of driftwood the field is approx. 1’6” wide — S has a theory that we may be able to shove each other through it if we go through horizontally. I’m not convin

 _05:31 NZDT:_ We saw lights coming on in the resort and dove for the cover of the trees. Maybe 5-6 minutes crouching in the underbrush. Then we heard T calling out to us from inside the forcefield. He had a wearable device capable of passing through the field, which he threw out to us. Requested that S leave all weapons on the beach, take the device, and let him escort her into the resort.

S went through before I could stop her because of course she did. I grabbed her gun and hightailed it back to the van for backup. N has eyes on the resort now. S and T went in approx. 5 mn before I got back to the van; N reports no sounds of gunfire since then. S has her bracelet radio and backup pen receiver so we’ve agreed to sit tight another 25 mn — it’s a big resort with plenty of places to hide and most of K’s guards are probably mind-controlled tourists. We hope.

 _05:46 NZDT:_ No word from S. We’re going in.

–––––

**FILE ID: 100-214XX054807-NS**

**FILE NAME:** SWEETWATER_NS_Case-Notes-02

[00:00] Background noise — breathing, muffled footsteps moving through undergrowth.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [16:27] There… there! Get down, I see (unintelligible)

[16:32] Loud clanking noises.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [16:56] What?

 **HENRY GREENE:** [16:59] Those pants are gonna get us killed. Look. There.

 **NICK STEELE:** [17:05] Three of ’em.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [17:12] Four. One on the roof. Look.

[17:24] Breathing. Low whooshing sound.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [18:13] Follow me and… stay low.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [18:25] (Unintelligible)

[18:31] Rustling leaves. Quieter clanking.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [20:22] Okay, uh. Can’t see’em, that means they can’t see us.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [20:34] There’s the barrier. Come on. I’ll, uh… (unintelligible) lock your knees and I’ll try to push you through. Once your hands come out the other side you should be able to move them again and then, uh…

 **NICK STEELE:** [21:09] Grab the tree.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [21:13] Grab the—tree. Yeah. Okay. Ready?

[21:20] Rustling, two clanks, loud beep.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [21:46] Ready.

[21:47] Rustling. Straining sounds, heavy breathing. Scrabbling feet.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [21:56] [grunting] (Unintelligible)

[22:00] Rustling, clanking, unintelligible mutters.]

**[22:27 - END OF FILE.]**

–––––

**FILE ID: 100-214XX062309-NS**

**FILE NAME:** SWEETWATER_NS_Case-Notes-03

 **NICK STEELE:** [00:00] —on? Oh, it’s going… There.

 **S. JONES:** [00:06] Now that that’s taken care of, maybe we should…?

 **NICK STEELE:** [00:12] Oh, right, uh—so, Henry, reach out and we’ll—oh.

[00:18] Muffled thump.]

 **S. JONES:** [00:21] Put that on, Henry. You can just walk right through. Hurry up, I don’t (unintelligible)

 **HENRY GREENE:** [00:23] [overlapping] Sympathy! I’m so glad you’re okay!

 **S. JONES:** [00:28] I’m fine, Henry. But we need to move—I had about a dozen guards after me when I got out of the resort and they’re still out here somewhere. This way!

[00:52] Footsteps receding.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [00:53] Uh, right!

[00:55] Running footsteps. Loud, rapid clanking.]

 **S. JONES:** [1:48] [whispering] I came through this way on my way out. There was only one guard, and he’s — there. [louder] Hi. Okay, now there’s three of us and only one of you, so I want you to think real, real carefully about what you do when I pull out this gag. In case you’re thinking of being brave, lemme remind you that my partners here didn’t leave their guns outside. Okay? Tell us where Kitty’s keeping the serum.

[02:34] Gasping, whimpering.]

 **S. JONES:** [02:38] I’ll count to three. One…

 **MALE VOICE:** [02:42] D-down — take the elevator down to s-sublevel A and follow the signs for the l-laundry. There’s a lab set up down there.

 **S. JONES:** [03:03] Okay. Thanks for your cooperation.

[03:09] Muffled thump.]

 **S. JONES:** [03:12] Come on!

[03:13] Running footsteps, metal clanking.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [03:15] Did you have to hit him again?

 **S. JONES:** [03:21] Saved his life. If Kitty knew he talked he’d be a dead man; this way he has plausible deniability.

 **NICK STEELE:** [03:36] Unless we uh, stop Kitty.

 **S. JONES:** [03:42] Right. Where’s the elevator?

[03:58] Shouting, heavy footsteps.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [03:59] This way!

[04:00] Loud running. Sounds of pursuit. Unintelligible shouting.]

[04:26] Elevator dings. Two gunshots. Labored breathing.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [04:40] Close call.

 **S. JONES:** [04:42] If we hit the emergency button on the way out and barricade the staircase that buys us some time. You okay, Henry?

 **HENRY GREENE:** [05:01] Just… fine.

 **S. JONES:** [05:04] Good. What’s the plan for the lab?

[05:05] Elevator dings. Footsteps, metal clanking.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [05:09] You grab Ticktock if he’s there. Henry and I will take out any guards. Then, uh, we seize the serum. 

 **HENRY GREENE:** [05:22] How do we get out of the basement?

 **S. JONES:** [05:26] There’s another stairwell at the other end of the building. I saw it in the map when they brought me in through reception. We can get out that way. Oh—and there’s backup on the way. I took out a couple of the containment mechanisms before I found you and radioed the consulate. The time-freeze field should be dispersed by the time they get here.

 **NICK STEELE:** [05:53] Good, good—

 **FEMALE VOICE:** [05:54] You there!

[05:55] Unintelligible shouting, heavy footsteps, slamming and thudding.]

 **HENRY GREENE:** [06:11] Sympathy!

[06:13] A crash, glass breaking. Loud male scream. Unintelligible shouting.]

[06:27] Gunshot. Silence.]

 **KITTY HAWK:** [06:31] That’s right. Back away from the serum, Ms. Jones.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [06:34] Drop the gun, Kitty.

 **S. JONES:** [06:35] You’re not going to win this one, Kitty. You’re outnumbered.

 **HENRY GREENE:** [06:42] Drop the gun!

[06:43] Silence. A sigh.]

 **KITTY HAWK:** [06:45] This isn’t over, Ms. Jones.

[06:46] A clatter. Footsteps.]

 **S: JONES:** [06:48] Hands behind your back, Kitty.

(Unintelligible)

[06:57] Radio crackle.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [07:01] Big Mama to Jamestown, do you read me? Over.

 **MALE VOICE:** [07:12] (Unintelligible)

 **NICK STEELE:** [07:14] We have Killer Kat and Quadrant in custody (unintelligible)—

 **KITTY HAWK:** [07:20] [overlapping] _Killer Kat?_

 **S. JONES:** [07:21] (Unintelligible)

 **NICK STEELE:** [07:23] —collected. We will meet you on the beach. Over.

 **MALE VOICE:** [07:26] (Unintelligible)

 **NICK STEELE:** [07:32] Copy that. Wilco. Big Mama out.

[07:35] Radio crackle.]

 **NICK STEELE:** [07:36] Alright. There’s a helicopter on the way to get us out of here. Henry, you carry the serum samples. Sympathy, keep hold of Kitty. I’ll grab Ticktock. Let’s move out.

**[07:52 - END OF FILE.]**

–––––

SWEETWATER \\\ Case notes

_6:45 NZDT:_ We’re in a helicopter en route back to the airport with K and T in custody. A full team of agents and NZ police on the ground at the resort to clear out the rest of the SCRATCH. S is okay, thankfully. She never found out why they wanted her (although we assume it had to do with dosing her with serum) because she made a break for it right after getting inside and ended up stealthing it through the resort to gather intel. After she made it out she went along the perimeter of the barrier and took out every containment mechanism she could find. N and I met up with her again as we were trying to force our way through.

That’s another piece of good news — that bracelet thing T used to get her through the field works by neutralizing the temporal hiatus effect on anything it comes into contact with. With that technology, we’ll be able to get inside the Capitol Hill field, so we can unfreeze Congress and all the innocent people caught in the blast zone.

Once we were inside the resort everything went about as well as we could’ve hoped. K about shot S’s hand off in the lab but S doesn’t even seem shaken. N and I had our guns too and even K isn’t stupid enough to start shooting when she’s got two guns on her, so it turned out okay in the end. It’s all paperwork from here.

I’m going to sleep all the way back to NYC.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: R. Pinkerton, Director

SUBJECT: **THE SWEETWATER CASE**

Good news, everybody! Agents Greene and Jones have just reported in from New Zealand. They were able to put a stop to S.C.R.A.T.C.H.’s latest plot and are en route back to the states with Kitty Hawk and Rodney Ticteccelli in custody now. Many of the henchmen got away, but you know what they say: Cut off the head and the rest will follow.

Those of you who’ve been coordinating with our New Zealand friends: Wrap up, go home, and get some rest. We’ll have a lot to do come Monday morning!

— Pinkerton.

–––––

**MEMORANDUM**

TO: **ALL OFFICES, ALL DEPARTMENTS**

FROM: D. Sienkiewicz, Secretary

SUBJECT: **SWEETWATER PARTY!**

Hey, everybody! Doris here!

As per our usual protocol, the Director’s Office is taking collections for the Congrats on the Successful Mission party currently scheduled for 7PM - 11PM on Tuesday. If you’d like to pitch in, make sure to drop by reception with your checkbooks before you leave today.

Have a great weekend, everyone!


	4. SCENE #1 - The Sweetwater Case, pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> or, What Really Happened At 5 AM.

It’s somehow quieter inside the time barrier. The gentle _shursh_ of waves on the shoreline fades and all Sympathy can hear is the stirring of sand beneath her feet and Ticktock’s. The resort lies above, at the point where trees give way to beach: a luxurious sprawl of buildings cutting sleek, modern lines against the natural surroundings.

“So,” Sympathy says, because Ticktock seems unlikely to break the silence.

“So.”

“…It seems darker in here.”

“Outside light has to undergo temporal hiatus to reach us,” Ticktock says. “Of course, light moves much too fast for the time barrier to _stop_ it, but it does get slowed down a bit. I’d say we’re about half an hour, forty minutes behind right now.”

Sympathy falls quiet, pondering this. They mount the low-slung deck of the resort, and Ticktock waves her through the glass doors to reception. “So, when light from inside goes out…?”

“You were seeing the resort as it was about half an hour ago, yes.”

“Like watching the stars,” Sympathy mutters. “So, from Henry’s perspective, we aren’t inside yet. And — hold on, how long were you standing on the beach?”

“The antifreeze bracelets work on light and sound in a given area, too. About a four foot radius. You saw and heard me in real time once I got close enough.” Ticktock smiles.

That strikes Sympathy as a bit needlessly complicated. “Radio waves?”

“Also trapped by the time barrier,” Ticktock says. “I had a time figuring a way around _that,_ lemme tell you. Not that I’m going to tell you.”

He hops over the reception desk with surprising agility and fiddles momentarily with the key programmer, then passes a key over to Sympathy. It's sky blue with a bland floral design printed over the back. She lifts an eyebrow.

“Suite 138,” Ticktock says. “She's waiting for you.”

Oh.

Ticktock skulks off and leaves her blinking. She'd assumed this was a capturing-the-enemy thing, not—

_Come find me and we'll chat._ Well, fine.

That explains the lack of guards, at least.

It's a nice resort. Glossy photographs of local vistas decorate the walls, and the carpet is thick plush patterned with what appear to be palm leaves. The furniture is tastefully understated, with a subtle tiki look and an abundance of potted plants.

The door to Suite 138 unlocks with a low whir.

“Come in, Ms. Jones. Coffee?”

Kitty is bright-eyed and well-coiffed despite the early hour, though dressed in only a silken dressing gown. She flashes a hundred-watt smile at Sympathy over the rim of a coffee mug, and for a second Sympathy understands how this woman managed to con people out of their hard-earned millions. She _radiates_ charm.

“…Sure,” Sympathy says.

“Sit,” Kitty tells her, with an imperious gesture towards the glass-topped dining table that divides the suite’s kitchen from the living space. Sympathy complies, and Kitty slides a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. It’s black and, on tasting, sweetened ever-so-faintly with a pinch of sugar.

Of course Kitty would know that.

“How do you find the resort?” Kitty asks airily, sliding into the seat opposite. “It’s better in daylight, and the time barrier does funny things to the water, but—”

“Well, I’ll take it over the alcove of death.”

“We have one of those here, too. Ticktock threw it together with parts from a couple dismantled washing machines and some bits and bobs he brought along from the lair… Of course, you’re here by invitation this time, so you needn’t fear.”

“I wasn’t afraid.”

Kitty fixes her with a long, unreadable look, and then says, “No. You don’t scare easy, do you? That’s a valuable trait, in someone like you.”

“Someone like me?”

“Skilled enough,” Kitty says, beaming, “that fearlessness is no longer a liability. Now, dear, I promised you history. What do you want to know?”

Sympathy opens her mouth, closes it again, and takes another sip of coffee to buy herself a bit of time. Three or four different questions had all crowded up at once.

“You worked at the Agency,” she says at last. “Why?”

“Oh, the same reason you do now, I imagine. The lure of intrigue, adventure… glory.” Her lips curl into a knowing smile, and Sympathy feels a faint rush of heat through her cheeks. “It never came, of course. No woman had ever been allowed in to that rarefied fraternity of morons. I hardly need to tell _you_ why.”

“There’s more women now. Not in the field, besides me, but in other departments…”

“In charge?”

“…In mid-level management,” Sympathy admits. “Okay. Point taken. But slow change is still _change._ And here I am.”

“Here you are,” Kitty agrees. “Though I credit _you_ for that more than the Agency’s paltry progressivism.”

“…What were the HR complaints about?”

_Something_ changes in Kitty’s face, though Sympathy can’t quite finger what, and suddenly _there’s_ the villain behind the congenial mask. There’s a violence in her eyes.

“Take a wild guess.”

She doesn’t want to. The revulsion rising in her throat is familiar and painfully personal; Sympathy knows how women fare in the Agency. How they’re looked at, talked to—and Sympathy’s one of the lucky ones. She’s only been touched the once, as Agent Goddard’s botched facial reconstruction proved a powerful and long-lasting deterrent.

She says, “How bad was it?”

“Bad enough,” Kitty says through a rictus of a smile. “Dante Rollins was the worst of them. You know what happened to him, of course. He had a… reputation in the office, among the other girls. The others did it out of a thoughtless, vague conviction that we girls didn’t quite _count,_ and that was bad enough, but Dante… Dante acted with malice.”

“So you killed him.”

“My first murder. I excised a few key details from his file and sent him swaggering to his doom.” She sighs with vicious nostalgia. “Murder’s a little like nicotine, Sympathy. Once you’ve taken that first hit it’s terribly difficult to quit.”

“I can’t imagine you tried all that hard.”

“Well, no,” Kitty admits. “But the analogy stands.”

“And you framed Gertrude Proctor.”

“Oh, I did old Gertie a favor; she took _everything_ to heart. They would’ve eaten her alive if she’d stayed. As it is, she fled west and found her true calling as a puppeteer.”

She sips her coffee, and Sympathy does too, not sure of what to say with the way Kitty’s watching her. Curious, and expectant—only Sympathy can’t fathom _what_ she might expect.

“S.C.R.A.T.C.H. has been around for seventeen years,” Sympathy says after a while.

“Eighteen and change, actually. You have to build up the internal structure of an organization before going public with the brand. And there were a few hiccoughs in the beginning. Persuading hardened criminals to take you seriously when you’re twenty-three and doe-eyed and blonde, well… the survivors learned quickly enough.” She smirks. “It was all strictly small-time stuff, at first. Muggings. Vandalism. A little vigilantism… And then Richard hired Rodney—Ticktock—on at Oscillex. This would’ve been, oh, eleven or twelve years ago. He’s a funny little man, you know. He could take crime or leave it and it wouldn’t matter one bit to him as long as he had a good lab to play around in. R&D at Oscillex satisfied him for a while and then, when his attention began to wane—he can’t stand working on the same thing for too long, you see—I snapped him up and my husband’s company became his cover story. And everything changed.”

Sympathy nods; she knows this part of the story, albeit from the perspective of an agency that had kicked over a stone and found a supercriminal organization hiding in its backyard where once there had been only a garden-variety gang. Near twenty of the Agency’s finest had died in the chaos. A plaque with their names on it still hangs in Field Deployment’s lobby, alongside a framed copy of the front page story in the _Times._ The cover photo is a magnificent shot of the grotesquely-mutated cat swatting aside a city bus like it’s no more than a mouse.

She supposes Kitty would call that _branding._

“How’d you go from vigilante killings to murdering innocent bystanders?” she asks.

“I enjoy it,” Kitty says, shrugging. “I don’t see any difference between the two, other than the extra thrill of murdering someone who really _deserves_ it. That’s the wonderful thing about villainy, Sympathy: you never have to worry about _morals_ unless it suits you. You just do what feels good.”

“Sounds a bit self-indulgent for my tastes.”

“Oh, I think you’d make a good hedonist.” Kitty smiles, beatific, and a little shiver races down Sympathy’s spine; she gulps her coffee and tries to look unaffected. From the glittering amusement in Kitty’s eyes, it’s a failed effort. “But that’s neither here nor there. Finished with your coffee?”

She is, so she slides the mug into Kitty’s open hand and then gazes out across the suite and into the murky dawn outside while Kitty rinses their mugs in the sink. She should, she thinks, be feeling a bit more disturbed right now than she actually—

Some deep animal instinct in her hindbrain wrenches her attention back to Kitty, and Sympathy finds herself face-to-barrel with a pistol. She goes very still. Kitty lounges back against the kitchen counter and bounces her eyebrows. “Oh, you _are_ good,” Kitty says, with an incongruously affectionate tone. “Most people need an ominous threat before they notice anything. What tipped you off?”

“Maybe I just don’t trust you,” Sympathy says.

Kitty laughs, a free and easy laugh that would, under different circumstances, probably be infectious; then she sets the gun on the counter with a decisive _thunk_. “Oh, get out of here, Ms. Jones.”

“…What?”

“Your would-be white knights are blundering in to rescue you as we speak,” Kitty says, tapping her ear. “They’ll be detained if my guards catch them, of course, because _they_ were not invited, but—as you’re my guest—it seems only fair to offer you a chance to save them.”

“My— _what?_ ”

“Unless you’d rather I kill them,” Kitty says hopefully.

“No, I—you’re just going to let me go?”

“I don’t make a habit of murdering my guests, Ms. Jones. I do have _some_ standards.”

“We’ll just turn right around and stop you!”

“Ms. Jones, are you arguing that I should shoot you now in cold blood?”

“…No, but—”

“Then go.”

“Do you _want_ to take over the country or not?!”

They gaze at each other for a second or two, Sympathy glaring and Kitty amused. Then Kitty says, “Not today, Ms. Jones. Which isn’t to say I won’t put up a good fight if you try to stop me. Now…”

She nods to the door, and Sympathy turns slowly, slowly—more bewildered than she’s ever felt in her life—and walks out into the silent, empty hall.


End file.
